Road Science

Cornering Control:
Part 1

Biker Bob just got back into motorcycling, and his new bike seems
to have a mind of its own. His new heavyweight machine doesn't
respond the same way his 250cc scrambler did 20 years ago. His
scrambler would lean just by throwing his weight toward a turn.
Today he's on his way home from a ride, approaching the narrow side
street where he'll be turning off from the wide boulevard. Bob
signals, rolls off the throttle, and leans the bike into a
right-angle turn. But the bike doesn't seem to want to turn as
tightly as Bob wants it to.

He tries leaning it a little farther by leaning his shoulders
toward the right and nudging his left knee against the tank, but the
front wheel continues to roll wide, across the centerline.
Fortunately, the driver of a car coming up the street sees the bike,
and brakes to avoid a collision. It's embarrassing not being able to
control the bike as accurately as he'd like. Bob is not alone. Lots
of motorcyclists haven't figured out how to steer a bike accurately,
especially a big bike at slower speeds.

The action is down at the front tire contact patch

It's very important to understand that accurate two-wheeler
steering is a matter of pushing on the handlebar grips, not just
leaning weight in the saddle. Obviously, a bike needs to lean toward
the curve in order to turn. And you can make it lean just by
shifting your weight in the saddle, or nudging the tank with your
knees. But the easiest and most accurate way to control lean is by
momentarily steering the front wheel opposite the way you want to
go. The out-tracking of the front tire forces the bike to lean. To
turn left, press on the left grip. To lean and turn right,
momentarily press on the right grip. It's called "countersteering".

That momentary push on the grips is just the first part of a
process of balancing and steering a motorcycle. That initial input
is called "countersteering" because you momentarily steer the front
wheel opposite, or "counter" to the direction you want to go. But as
the bike leans over to the angle you need to make the corner, you
allow the front wheel to recenter, and even steer slightly toward
the curve. Leaned over, front tire traction forces the bike to turn.
The bike is held at the same lean angle by gravity being balanced
against centrifugal force.

Pressing the grips right causes the front
wheel to track left, and tire traction forces the motorcycle to lean
toward the right.

This process repeats over and over again as a rider makes
adjustments to balance and direction. Front end geometry also
contributes to balance--the front wheel keeps trying to recenter
itself with the bike vertical. But even in a "straight" line, the
front wheel weaves slightly from side to side as the bike's geometry
and the rider's steering input work together to control balance and
direction.

Countersteering is just the first part of the
cornering process. As the bike rolls over to the angle of lean you
think is about right for the corner, you allow the front wheel to
recenter. The front tire pushing the bike toward the turn generates
"centrifugal force". The bike is kept from falling over by
centrifugal force balanced against gravity.

In a turn, you can control the direction of the bike by small
adjustments to steering. To turn a little tighter, push the grips a
little more toward the curve. That's what Bob needed to do to avoid
crossing the centerline and staying within his lane. Press right to
lean right. And what Bob needed to avoid those parked cars on his
right is to lean a little more left. Press left to lean left.

It
might seem easy enough to countersteer, but sometimes a rider's
brain subconsciously confuses the issue, signaling the left and
right hands to do different things. It's not uncommon for a rider to
be pushing on one grip to lean the bike, and subconsciously
resisting that push with the other hand. If it sometimes seems that
your bike just doesn't want to lean even when you are pressing hard
toward the direction of turn, it's a hint you need to get your hands
coordinated.

In simple terms, pressing on the right grip causes the bike to
lean (and turn) right.

Lee Parks, author of the book Total Control, suggests steering
with one hand. That is, in a right turn, do the countersteering with
your right hand. In a left turn, steer with your left hand. What's
important is to make a point of relaxing the other arm, to ensure
that you aren't subconsciously strong-arming the opposite grip and
resisting your "steering" hand. For instance, when turning left,
steer with your left hand, and relax your right arm. In a right
turn, relax your left arm. If you're having trouble only with
left-hand turns, it may be because you're strong-arming the right
grip as you manage the throttle. Try flapping your elbow a bit to
help relax the "non-steering" arm.

Or, you might try concentrating on moving both grips toward the
direction of turn. That is, leaning into a right turn, consciously
press both grips toward the right. You might actually be pushing on
the right grip and pulling on the left grip, but you can imagine
that it's moving the grips toward the curve that pushes the bike
over. Press both grips toward the right to lean right. Press both
grips left to lean left. It's OK to lean body weight toward the
curve while holding onto both grips. Leaning pulls both grips toward
the curve, which is actually countersteering, but focusing on
leaning can smooth out the steering input.

Or, try moving both grips toward the turn. You
might actually be pushing on the right grip and pulling on the left
grip, but you can imagine that it's moving the grips toward the
curve that pushes the bike over. Its OK to lean your body toward the
curve.

It's not just countersteering

While countersteering is the basic technique for accurate
steering control, there are some other considerations when
cornering, including your cornering line, where you're placing your
weight on the bike, and what you're doing with the brakes and
throttle.

David Hough
is a long-time motorcyclist and journalist. His work has appeared in numerous motorcycle publications, but he is best known for the monthly skills series "
Proficient Motorcycling
" in Motorcycle Consumer News, which has been honored by special awards from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Selected columns were edited into
two books
Proficient Motorcycling
and
More Proficient Motorcycling
, both published by Bowtie Press. He is also the author of
Driving A Sidecar Outfit and a pocket riding skills handbook,Street Strategies
.

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